


Meteor Shower

by SweetAshori



Series: SenHaku Week 2020 [3]
Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Light Angst, Romance, SenHaku Week, Senhaku
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25984945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetAshori/pseuds/SweetAshori
Summary: “When you see a star streak across the sky, bring your hands up in prayer, and make a wish from deep within your chest. If you make a wish, it'll certainly come true one day.”
Relationships: Ishigami Senkuu & Kohaku, Ishigami Senkuu/Kohaku
Series: SenHaku Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1878493
Kudos: 58





	Meteor Shower

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Dr. STONE. I just really, really, really love it though.
> 
> Authoress' Note: Another fic for SenHaku Week! I hope this week has been enjoyable for everyone so far. It's nice to see all of the different creative works coming out for this pairing! This is probably my favorite fic for the week - as well as overall - so I really hope people enjoy!
> 
> Prompt 6: Starry Night Sky

From a young age, Kohaku had a fascination with the stars.

Not in the same regards as her childhood friend, Chrome, who had more of a fascination in terms of his science and sorcery, but there was a fascination there. It started when she was six years old, when she was by the riverside, washing away the dirt and blood from a fall she had as she attempted to jump from tree to tree, all part of her self-training to become a fighter that could protect her village. She had become angry and distracted, thinking back on an altercation she had earlier in the day with the older and boorish Magma after he degraded her desire to become a huntress, where she gave him a well deserved punch to the gut before running out of the village to do her personal training.

It was here, as she was sitting by the riverside and attempting to calm and clean herself, when she saw her first shooting star. Her bright and innocent turquoise eyes went as wide as saucers as she watched the vibrant streak zoom across the pitch black night. It lasted only a second or two, but that sight stayed firm in Kohaku's memory. She recalled its beauty and the fear that settled in her chest, worried that it was something that was falling from the sky. When she broke from the reverie, she ran back for home as fast as her tired and injured legs could carrying her, finding everything as together and peaceful as it always was.

Before she went to sleep that night, she brought up the subject to her beloved older sister, Ruri. Ruri smiled at her sibling, bringing her into a tight and loving hug, telling her of something their mother had told her during the passing of the Hundred Tales: “When you see a star streak across the sky, bring your hands up in prayer, and make a wish from deep within your chest. If you make a wish, it'll certainly come true one day.”

Kohaku wasn't sure if she believed in such a thing, remembering looking at Ruri with a skeptical gaze before the elder sibling laughed and prepared their bed for the night. Still, those words never left the huntress' mind, and so, often her gaze would turn towards the sky on clear nights, wondering if she would ever be lucky enough to see another shooting star. Although what she would wish for, she didn't know. She couldn't think of a single thing she could wish for. She had everything she could think she wanted, and what she didn't she was striving and earning under her own merits. So what use did she have for a wish? Still, she would remember those words, just in case she were to ever find something worth wishing for.

And she did. One night, as she left the village to make her way back towards the hot springs where she had continuously gathered water to make baths for her ailing sister, she saw it. A shooting star. As she laid back upon the ground near her small fire, surrounded by the darkness of her fearful thoughts – Is the water helping? Will Ruri really die? Isn't there any other way to save her? – her eyes widened at the sight of the bright trail against the night, her breath catching in her throat.

In that moment where she was struck between its beauty and the risk of tragedy, Ruri's words echoed out in Kohaku's head. She closed her eyes, bringing her hands up and clasped them above her chest, hovering over her heart, and in one breath she let out the only thing she could wish for now.

“Please... something, someone... please save my sister.”

She didn't know if her wish would ever come true, but a little bit of luck from the fates and gods wouldn't hurt. She was doing everything that she could do and she wasn't even sure if what she was doing was enough, so she had to hope for another answer, for someone or something that would save her sister – and herself – from ruin.

The next day, that was when she met Senku Ishigami. A sorcerer – or, as he would correct the term, a scientist – that was once frozen inside of the stone statues of people that scattered across the landscape, all part of a great calamity over 3700 years before her birth, breaking free at long last and now trying to rebuild the world and restore humanity to its state before the petrification. In the aftermath of their meeting – of rescuing her from being pinned under a large and heavy tree trunk, of offering her assistance to his ultimate goal, from the promise to make a medicine that would save Ruri from her illness – when she thought back on it, Kohaku wondered if perhaps Senku was the answer to her wish. She knew that it was likely all coincidental – Senku didn't put much stock into miracles and wishes, and nor did she – but still... she was glad that she saw that star, glad she had that chance to make that wish, glad that through some sorts of twists and turns of life blessed her with the only thing she could've ever thought of wishing for.

… At least, until recently.

Kohaku looked up towards the spotty night sky, laid out in the grass of an open field surrounded by the forests that enveloped all around her home and the base for the Kingdom of Science, her arms resting across her stomach, her blonde locks sprawled out and tangled in the blades of grass, the greenery occasionally tickling her skin as a breeze would go past. It was clear, not a cloud to be seen, leaving nothing but the glow of the moon and stars to light up the black. She could hear the wayward noise of those that gathered around the big fire by the laboratory, but it was faint, leaving her mostly in the deep silence of the evening.

She began to wonder, if she were to ever see another shooting star, if she would have another wish she'd like to make. It's a thought that came to her mind more often nowadays as she tried to drift off to sleep. What else could she wish for? Her village was happy and safe. Her sister was alive and well, and would be for many more years to come. She was healthy and strong herself, as she wanted to be, able to defend herself and her village from nearly any threat. They were on the right track towards reviving humanity, and while she didn't fully understand every bit of scientific jargon that Senku would say or do, what she did know was that every day was filled with excitement and fun. What else could she even wish for?

When she thought of that last part, it was when she'd see Senku's face come to her mind's eye. She couldn't deny it, there was a sparking attachment in her chest towards the green-ombred haired scientist. Every day it would grow a fraction stronger, in every glance she would send his way, in every word he would say to her, in every accomplishment the Kingdom would achieve and in every prideful smile that Senku would have in relation to success. They were friends and allies, of course, and they trusted one another with their lives, but there was that seed in her heart that was growing into something that was far more serious, far more intimate. She wasn't sure if she could call it “love” yet, but it was something like that. Not that she could ever share that with Senku, of course. The man was clearly and absolutely against the mere idea of love and romance, finding it detrimental and troublesome towards the pursuit of science. He made that more than obvious after he freed her from her wooden prison, in which she greeted him with her name and a declaration of attraction, although at that time she had to quickly correct him and his assumption based on her words, not meaning them in the way he was taking them. At least, at that time, she didn't mean it in that way. But now... now she wasn't so sure. If she were to say those words again to him, would she be so quick to correct them, even with knowing his feelings on the matter?

She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment, absorbing in all of the sounds and feelings of the world around her. She kept them close as she listened to the sound of someone approaching her, their feet crunching against the grass and rocky dirt below, smiling softly as the figure sat down next to her.

She didn't need to open her eyes to know exactly who it was, her perception and memory telling her all too well by just the sounds who it was. “Came to get away from everyone for a bit too, Senku?”

The sound of a typical, gruff chuckle and the shifting of position upon the grass told her that her assumption was correct, “Yeah. A few of them are starting to become drunkards. Thankfully Gen, Chrome, and Ruri had good sense to make sure Suika and some of the other children didn't get involved.”

Kohaku opened her eyes, her ocean eyes returning to the sky, not needing to glance over at her new stargazing partner. Not that he would've known that she was looking at him, his scarlet irises also focused upon the stars.

They didn't need to say much to each other. That was something Kohaku liked about their dynamic; they could just be in the quiet and it would be more than enough. No need for conversation, for any sort of weird attempts to fill the air. They could just be like this – her laying in the grass, him sitting beside her with legs outstretched and arms stretched behind him with hands flat against the ground, his torso at an angle to view the sky – and it was wonderful. If they wanted to talk, they could, but there was no obligation to do so. It was something that the huntress was starting to appreciate more and more lately.

“Hey, Senku?”

“Yeah?”

“Have you ever seen a shooting star?”

She already knew the answer, but she was curious regardless. He chuckled at the question, although she could tell he was almost balking at the mere suggestion from her words. “Of course. Many times, in fact,” he responded, his words laced with that trademark sarcasm of his.

She laughed lightly, still happy to hear his answer. “They're rather beautiful. I first saw one when I was a child. I was amazed to see such a thing just zoom across the sky,” she continued the conversation, “Although, I freaked out at first. I thought it was something crashing down and that it would hit the village.”

Senku wasn't surprised to hear that; it was a thought that many children in his time certainly had when they saw their first shooting star, but could imagine in this world with a lack of astronomical knowledge, seeing such a thing would be even more frightening, and he understood why Kohaku had that feeling.

“Well, they are objects falling from space, so that is a fair assessment,” he replied, “What we see as shooting stars are actually meteors, spawned from meteoroids that burn up as they enter the Earth's atmosphere.”

Kohaku didn't fully understand the terms he used, but she felt a bubble of happiness low in her gut, smiling as she turned her head to look up at him, “Really? They're not actual stars?”

He shook his head, “Not at all. Stars are made of gas and plasma, not any sort of solid mass. When they reach the end of their lives, they can explode, becoming a supernova or a black hole, or just fade away entirely. Largely depending on the size of the star when it reaches that point.”

“Wow...”

His head turned towards her, seeing her gazing up at him and hanging on his every word. He knew that likely she didn't understand what he was saying, but the way she looked at him, with pale pink lips curled into a wispy smile, it caused him to want to step back for a moment, feeling an extra thump in his chest that he wasn't used to. Was she this intrigued by his explanation? Did she have an interest in astronomy that she hadn't previously displayed before?

Her eyes softened as he watched her, turning her head back towards the sky, bringing one arm up close to her head, her fingers curling into her palm with a few blades of long grass between her appendages and curling with her. “I ran back home after seeing that star. I wanted to make sure everything was okay. It was, which was a huge relief,” she said with a chuckle, “I told Ruri about it, though. I told her about how pretty it was.”

The fingers at her waist flinched, her eyes watering slightly as she recalled the memory, “She told me of something from the Hundred Tales that our mother told her. She said that, when you see a shooting star, you bring your hands up in prayer and make a wish, deep within your chest. And when you do, it'll eventually come true.”

Senku laughed aloud at that tale, much to Kohaku's confusion. He could see that etched onto her face, and he lightly sobered up, “Ah, sorry. It's funny how such a childish thing managed to survive more than 3700 years. It's actually... a bit nice to hear, to be honest.”

Kohaku hummed, understanding his reasoning and smiling a little wider at his last comment, knowing full well that he had an actual smile upon his face without a need to glance at him. She knew that, when he thought about things related to his stepfather – the astronaut Byakuya Ishigami and one of the founders of her village – he would have this expression, and surely it was because of him that this tale was written and passed down through the generations. One more connection to the world lost to the stone, something that they would one day restore.

That bubble of happiness she felt began to wane, mixing with a pang of pain, pain that she had thought had gone away but it was there, coming back like an old wound reacting to the winter's cold. She still held that smile, but it was not as strong as it was a moment before. “The night before we met, I saw a shooting star,” she said, her voice so soft that the gentle breeze of the night almost overpowered it.

“Oh?” he inquired, a curious tone ringing through.

“... I wished for something, for someone, to save my sister.”

That made him flinch, turning sharply to look down at her again, seeing a small heave in her chest as she attempted to hold back what tears wanted to form and fall down her cheeks. She was smiling, but he could see it was strained. But soon after the words left her lips, she laughed, a haunting but beautiful sound, turning her head back towards him, “The first wish I ever made upon a shooting star, and the next day I'd meet you, and that you'd be the one to save her. I know it was just a bunch of coincidences. But still... I'm glad I made that wish.”

There was that thump again, growing harder and louder than Senku's ever known it, adrenaline pumping through him in a slow and steady pace. This feeling was powerful and odd, and he wasn't sure what to make of it. Once again, she gave him that soft and wistful look, turning away towards the sky, her lips falling agape as she caught the glimpse of something special going against the black.

“Look, Senku!”

He turned to quickly see the shooting star streak across the vastness, forgetting for a moment the overwhelming feeling he was experiencing. He chuckled, a low sound from deep in his throat, ready to make a comment related to their conversation, only for the words to die on his tongue as another went pass their visions, followed by two more.

He was now in just as much awe as she was: it was the start of a meteor shower. It was the first he had seen since his depetrification, and just as it was those centuries ago, seeing so many streaks of lights going past his vision was glorious and exciting. For Kohaku, this was the first she had ever seen in her life, seeing so many filling her entire body up with quivering delight. The weight that was pressing down on her as she shared that old memory was fading away quickly, leaving her with nothing but euphoria.

She reached out towards the sky with one hand, fingers moving as if she wanted to try and grab one of the falling stars, laughing without a care as they flew past in a more frequent number. Some were more faint in terms of their glow, but others were stronger, and those filled Kohaku with more happiness. Senku couldn't help but turn his gaze back at her, watching as she took such childlike glee at the sights before her, never hearing her act so free before. Even after Ruri was cured from her illness, she never acted like this. It was... cute. Mentally, he wondered what was wrong with him to even think for a moment that the lioness was such a term, but he also couldn't come up with anything better to describe this side of her. He began to get caught up in the moment, chuckling along with her, finding it to be almost liberating. There was no calculations, no road maps, no worrying about experiments going wrong, no concerns of threats. It was just a beautiful event of nature and space, a moment that the two of them were able to share.

The laughter slowed, Kohaku attempting to catch her breath, taking in a deep one before exhaling and allowing herself to momentarily calm, smiling as she brought her hands together over her chest, closing her eyes, her head drifting lazily to one side. Senku was confused for a moment as she went quiet, before realizing what she was doing: she was making a wish. Given the context of their previous conversation, it made sense that she would take advantage of the shower to do such a thing, but what came this time was a weird sense of curiosity. What could her wish be? He had no use or desire for such a thing, knowing that whatever he could want he would find a way to create with his own two hands – or through his established labor force, either or – but after hearing her tale of her first wish... is there something she could desire that she hoped for some extra cosmic guidance to achieve? Of course, he knew another part of the old tale of wishing upon the shooting stars that perhaps she didn't: if you shared the wish with someone else, it may not come true. He debated on whether or not to ask her about it. He didn't want to put a damper on her belief in such a thing, but curiosity was a powerful beast. It's something that made up much of what drove him to the sciences: that strong and amazing sense of curiosity.

After a few moments, she opened her eyes, her hands falling from their clasped position, falling to rest above her stomach as she did before, the ocean orbs alit with a cheery and whimsical glow. She moved her arms towards the ground, pushing herself upright, bringing her knees up close to her torso, leaning back on her hands. Her head leaned back, smiling at her partner as she rested her cheek on her shoulder, “I'm sure you don't really believe in it, but are you going to make a wish too? There's so many flying, certainly if you did, it'd come true!”

He scoffed, not surprised that she would be making such an inquiry, tossing his head back to move his bangs from his line of sight, “Nah. I don't have use for a wish.”

“I figured as much,” she replied, not disappointed in the slightest over his answer, turning her attention back towards the sky.

He watched her as she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around her bent knees, still expressing every bit of excitement and joy as she did when the shower started, but this time with a more solemn sense of quiet, as if she was trying to just absorb the magnitude of this awestruck force. That feeling from before began to well up again; why was he so drawn to her? It was like he was a moth, she the flame, and he had the hardest time trying to look away. In all of the time they have been together, he had never gazed upon her like this, never had these sort of thoughts or feelings come over him, and yet... yet as he sat here, in the perfect viewing spot for one of the most beautiful celestial events any person could ever see, his attention was so firmly on her. On her large blue eyes that were as bright as the stars themselves, of her buxom and gentle profile, of her lovely pale lips curved into large smiles, of the gleeful sounds that would escape her throat. She was as radiant as any cosmic being could be, and that thought was starting to terrify him. There was no reason he could logically come up with as to why he would be so drawn to her. Illogical, on the other hand... there was one or two that were coming to his mind, and he was not liking what that was implying.

“So what did you wish for?” the words left him almost in a whimper, a strained and weird tone for him, but Kohaku didn't seem to pick up on it.

Her brows and lids lowered, softening and blurring her vision ever slightly, looking down at the ground. She was afraid to tell him, knowing what he could say if she did. Did she really want to risk ruining this beautiful and perhaps once-in-a-lifetime moment to answer him? Yet, as she knew that he was watching her, expecting the answer, she knew that it was something she couldn't entirely avoid. Senku was not one to just let something go if he had a question about it, so she knew there was a chance she couldn't escape his inquiry.

“I wished that I could spend every day, for the rest of my life...” she started, slowly lifting her head up, tilting it towards him, her blonde bangs falling in front of her face, the final words said with an uneasy but meaningful laugh, one hand lifted to brush the hair from her sight, “With you.”

Everything seemed to had stopped in time, as if hit by the green light that brought the world into the stone, and Senku couldn't hear anything but his heartbeat. Those words... it hit him so hard, throwing him completely and totally off his guard. The way she looked at him, the way she said those words, the meaning they could hold... there was so much emotion there, so much emotion within him, and he was drowning in all of the feelings that he couldn't even begin to succinctly describe.

Trying to get himself to break from the reverie, ignoring the rush of adrenaline coming over him again, he released a short laughed, smirking at her, “Heh... that almost sounds like you're falling for me, lioness.”

His voice was laced with sarcasm, but also an unheard fear. Kohaku inwardly winced; she knew that's what he would say. There was no way that he wouldn't have mentioned that, because it's true: that's what it sounded like. However, it didn't entirely fill her with the dread that she thought it would. Instead she laughed herself, surprising him, closing her eyes as she spoke, “You can interpret it however you want, Senku.”

“... What?” he was entirely thrown back by that response; she wasn't denying it, but wasn't confirming it either, and that lack of certainty only made things go more wild within his mind and heart.

She didn't clarify her comments any further than that. She didn't want to, and didn't feel that she had to. It was the most honest answer she could give. Whether it was forever only as friends or, if that day ever came that they maybe could become something more, it was still the same: the only thing she could wish for, the only thing she would likely ever wish for until her final day, was to be able to be by Senku's side. Through better and worse, through peace and war, through all of the trials and pain and breakthroughs the Kingdom of Science could make, as long as she was there, right next to him, sharing in every bit of it all with him, that was what she wanted. Always and forever by his side, no matter what.

The huntress turned away, unaware of how his gaze was following her as she stood up, stretching out her body after laying and sitting for so long, feeling some semblance of cramps through her muscles. Her attention turned towards the base camp, where there was still faint sounds of people still gathered and enjoying the company. “I wonder if anyone else is watching the show,” she commented quietly, starting to walk towards them, stepping past Senku.

The scientist was still so thrown off and confused by everything that had happened, his entire body starting to shake. All of these strange, illogical, unknown feelings... all of the expressions she shared with him... that wish and her explanation... what in the hell was going on here? What did all of this mean? All of the questions in the world filled his head, but he couldn't find a single answer, and that bothered him far more than it should've. He wasn't an omniscient being – there was plenty out there that he didn't know, but the fun part was in the journey to learn – but he couldn't come up with a succinct answer that made sense, nor could he find a single path that could lead to said answer, and the only person that could potentially help with that path was walking away, and he couldn't let that--

“Wait.”

That single word came out with such a desperate ferocity. One of his arms flew back as he got up onto his knees, turning quicker than he likely ever thought he could do, grasping so hard onto Kohaku's wrist that it stopped her in her tracks, the unexpected force of it causing her to nearly fall to the ground, a shocked gasp escaping loudly from her lips. Water and blood collided, both wide and shocked but for entirely different reasons. Now it was Kohaku's turn to feel drowning fear, completely off her guard like she rarely was before. Senku had never reached out to her like this before, never looked at her with such a scary and needing sort of gaze, never spoke to her in such a tone, and she wasn't sure what to do or think in response. Slowly, shakily, she knelt down upon the grass, their bodies only a few inches apart from one another, his hand still wrapped around her wrist as if he wanted to make sure she couldn't run, although they both knew she could easily break free from this binding if she really wanted to.

“What is it?” she asked, trying to act unfazed but they both knew she failed.

“What exactly did you mean?” he replied back, the fingers around her wrist subtly growing tighter in its grasp.

Kohaku sighed, trying to keep her smile intact despite the never-ending pain that was growing in her chest. “I don't know else you want me to say,” she explained, a sprinkle of a lie in her statement that she was hoping he wouldn't pick up on, “I told you that you can interpret it however you want.”

“Yeah, but there's a specific way you're wanting. What is it?”

“There isn't, I swear.”

“You're lying.”

“I'm not.”

The grip grew tighter and it started to hurt, and there was a vile feeling heating up in the huntress' stomach. Senku was not going to let this go, and she knew that he wouldn't. He wouldn't stop until he got the exact answer he wanted, but she wasn't even sure what that answer was herself. She knew of that seed that was growing, of that love that was becoming stronger, but how could she even share that with him? If she did and he didn't return it or if he admonish her for it, if he told her to never say or feel that way again about him, if he pulled away from her because of it, she knew that would be devastating, and that's the last thing she wanted to feel. That's why she was satisfied with just the idea of being by his side, so that way no matter which way her heart leaned, she would happy as long as she could be with him. She was more than fine with keeping this secret flower within her chest, fine with never sharing it with him, knowing full well what damage that could do. As long as she able to be by his side... that was all she needed. That was all she wished for.

Senku was used to anxiety. Anxiety and science can often go hand in hand. Even the best laid experiments had that brush of risk that could fill any scientist's chest with the sickening feeling. But this was a different type of anxiety, anxiety that he was never wanting to experience. Everything about tonight was swirling around in that undesirable feeling, and it almost made him ill to his stomach. Every logical answer he could come up with to explain everything he was feeling was failing him, leaving only the one illogical explanation that he swore that he would never, ever feel.

… Although he had felt it before. He would instantly deny it, but he has felt it. He felt it in every late night he would find her still awake late at night, watching him with the most curious of expressions. He felt it in the quiet moments where they would sit next to one another, not needing to say a word and just allowing themselves to be as they are. He felt it in the unguarded laughs she would release, in the grateful tears she shed over her sister's recovery, in her unshakable belief in him and science, in all of the little moments that didn't entirely matter but he was so, so glad that she was there to share them with him. These feelings went beyond just the simple admiration he held for her. Those feelings were far easier to handle; it was impossible for him to not feel that towards the lioness, and it wasn't as though those feelings weren't something he didn't held in similar regards for the rest of his friends.

No... this wasn't just admiration. It was something far stronger and far more dangerous. It was love. Love. The one thing he told her that he was not interested in, one of the enemies of his pursuits of science. And yet, that one illogical, detrimental, unsettling feeling was what he knew he was starting to feel towards Kohaku, and he was realizing it more and more as this evening went by. Everything that happened, every bubble in his stomach, every weird and excited thump in his chest, every odd tone in his words... nothing in his vast array of knowledge could explain it otherwise. And this is why he needed to stop her from walking away, why he needs to know exactly what she meant by her wish and her words. Because if it was the same as him... he needed to know. Why? Why did he need to know? Why couldn't he just squash this down as he did before? He can't handle this. Not right now. Not while there's so much more to do. Not while he needs to keep his head as clear as possible in order to save humanity. That was what he needed to do, the only one that can do it. He can't be so drowned in thoughts of romance, and if she feels the same, he had to stop it. He can't allow for this to ruin everything he was building, everything they were building. He can't, he can't--!!

He took in a deep breath, taking a second to calm his mind. The more he tried to find reasonable answers, the more he began to drive himself crazy with that hurtful anxiety. He closed his eyes, allowing him to gain the peace of mind that he needed, and Kohaku could feel her own breath catching in her throat as he reopened them, his gaze piercing at her as if she was being stabbed by her own blades.

“You said I could interpret your words anyway I want, right?”

She blinked, swallowing a lump in her throat, “Yes, I did.”

The gears in Senku's mind turned, the grip on her wrist loosening slightly but not releasing her. Not that she could escape right now even if she wanted to, so trapped by his sharp, crimson irises. “Then,” he started to speak again, “Let me run by some interpretations with you.”

He moved a fraction closer to her, and while instinct told her to back away, she remained stuck to her spot in the grass. “You've dedicated yourself to the Kingdom of Science as an ally. But more than that, we're friends. We've shared a path forged not only by science, but by bonds. Bonds we could've only gained by all that we've been able to achieve up until now. It's a fair assessment to say that we each can trust one another with our lives, correct?” he started his explanation, his voice in his usual tone, but quiet enough as to not alert wandering ears if someone was starting to approach from the camp.

She nodded, “Yes... of course, Senku. My life is your hands, and yours in mine. That's how it's been since the beginning. That's how it'll always be.”

He let out a low chuckle at those words, the sound sending a shiver up her spine. His hand moved up her arm, resting now just above her elbow. Her free hand clenched at the haphazard hem of her dress. She swore that he was leaning closer towards her, but she wasn't sure if it wasn't just her mind playing a trick on her. “If I have never told you before, your loyalty and friendship is something I appreciate more than anything else,” he continued, “If your words mean that you are worried about something affecting our relationship to where we would have to part ways, then you should be assured that I will not allow anything like that to ever happen. I promise you that, ten billion percent.”

There was relief in her chest, and she smiled at him softly, “Thank you for that, Senku. That means a lot more than you may think.”

“But... I think you're meaning something else.”

She knew he wasn't done, and that relief quickly sank into the abyss that she had continued to feel in the moment he reached out for her. He was certainly leaning closer to her, and she felt herself attempt to move back, but couldn't, only quivering as his gaze still refused to move away from her. “Tell me, Kohaku... is your heart beating fast?” he asked, his voice lowering, deeper.

“My heart?” she questioned back, tongue darting out to wet dried lips.

He nodded, humming as he brought his other hand up towards her chest, one pointed finger poking right above her bosom, “Is it?”

“It... it is,” she whispered.

Another chuckle, this time as he removed that pointed finger from her chest, lowering to reach for the clenched hand at her hem, unraveling the fingers from the cloth and leading it up towards his own chest, resting her palm against it. She gasped, and he smirked, “Mine has been running since that first meteor flew past. Hearing you, watching you... I couldn't figure out why it was acting so out of sync, before I realized it wasn't just my heart, but my entire being. But I think I'm understanding why now.”

She bit her bottom lip, and he could feel her shaking all over her frame. “Wh... why?” she asked, unable to keep that shake out of her voice, her throat growing parched.

She blinked, noticing how close he was to her now, eyes widening larger than they had been the entire night she was sure. There was mere a few inches between them now, feeling his breath against her face. The hand at her upper arm moved upwards, resting gently against her cheek. She momentarily flinched, the contact of his calloused fingers against her skin throwing her off. Never had he touched her face like this before. Pale lips fell slightly agape, bottom lip quivering. Fingers curled into his lab coat, the grip on that hand tightening, holding it in the same way that her sister would... that gentle, caring, loving sort of grasp.

“We're starting to realize that we may want something more than just friends.”

Kohaku's mind went blank, shocked at the words that we just emitted from his lips. “Senku... you...” those words were almost inaudible, the only ones that could escape her.

He scoffed, lips turned into that signature smirk of his. His thumb brushed her chin, moving in closer towards her. Despite what her mind was telling her, her eyes began to drift, slowly closing, not seeing that his was as well. She sucked in a breath as his lips sealed upon hers, the touch as gentle as what he would instruct her to do with the glass that Kaseki would make. Fragile... that's the term he used.

The seal was there for one, two, three seconds, pulled back slowly. Her lips felt as though they were burned. It was her first kiss. His as well. Vision blurred behind lashes, only seeing glimpses of color, before shutting again, lips meeting once again, this time with a bit more pressure. She wasn't going to break, he knew that for sure now. Nor would he.

She pushed herself closer to him, her arms moving to wrap themselves around his neck. One of his arms returned the favor, wrapping around her upper torso, palm resting flat against her back. That felt like it was burning as well, but the huntress couldn't bring herself to care. Let her body burn, as long as this kiss was not broken. She didn't want to let it break, afraid that this moment was all in her head. She fell asleep in the grass field, she was almost sure of it. All of this was a dream, and she was afraid of that reality. But this wasn't a dream, he could assure her of that. He hummed against her lips, a reaction to the feel of her fingers tangling themselves at the hairs on the nape of his neck. He was desperate not to let this break, either, knowing full well what was coming once they finally had to part.

The kiss couldn't last forever, needing to end, and when it did there was regret. Kohaku's eyes fluttered open, slowly, vision readjusting. It wasn't a dream, seeing and feeling every bit of Senku around her. Her face was hot, his as well. Their breaths came out in soft pants, their bodies backing away from one another so they could gain a better vision of one another, their arms falling from one another, releasing them from their holds.

“... I can't.”

Somehow, through the fog, Kohaku knew that was coming. It hurt. It hurt just as much as she knew it would. That flower was wilting, dying, and she wanted to cry but the tears weren't coming. But he could see them, as clear as the night sky. She turned her head, finally breaking away from his gaze for a moment, and now she wished that she was truly burning. At least that would feel better than the hurt she had in her chest.

“I... I know that.”

Her voice was trying to be strong, but it was cracked and squeaking, betraying her attempt. Senku saw through her, anyway. He always did, the perceptive genius that he was. Hand to her face again, curled fingers against her skin, a pressure upon it telling her to turn back and look at him again.

“What I mean is... I can't. Not yet.”

Those two words set off bells in Kohaku's mind, a stilted gasp stuck in her throat, ocean eyes wide and the quiver returned to her lips. His hands reached for hers, holding both within his own; she was shaking and he was too, but neither knew how to stop it.

“When I made the promise to you before, about our friendship, I did that because I knew I can keep that. But promise you something more, I can't do that. I can't promise that I can devote myself to you in that way, and I don't make promises I can't keep. There's too much at stake right now to let it get all screwed up because of what we're starting to feel. I told you before how a brain filled with love is troublesome.”

She bit on her bottom lip again, lowering her eyes to look down at their clasped hands, although that vision also brought pain. “But...” that word brought her gaze back, seeing him smiling as pure and sincere as she had ever seen before.

“When we succeed, when we restore all of humanity. Then, I can.”

She seethed, her body bracing with the breath that filled every inch of her lungs, the tears that were burning and unseen now sliding down her face. It may not had been a promise, but those three words meant more than what any promise could. The flower was beginning to show some signs of life again; it was not a full bloom, although it hadn't been before, but now there was hope that it could. She let out a choked laugh, pulling one hand from his grasp to wipe away the wet streaks from her cheek. “No matter what happens, whether we're friends or something else, all I want is to be by your side. That's what I truly want, and that's why I made my wish, because I don't want to go back to a world where you weren't in it,” she explained through the stuck sobs and sounds, trying to get the tears to stop falling, “But I guess I don't have to worry about it not coming true.”

He hummed an amused sound, and her heart raced but this time it wasn't so bad. Their foreheads met, and their clasped hands squeezed one another, their gazes no longer holding all of the anxious and negative feelings that were once so sparked, replaced with something that was far more precious than any sort of glass or gem could be, closing as their lips met for one more long, meaningful kiss, one that would stain their memories and carry them through all of the hardships that were to come, knowing that this would be the last they would share until they finally brought back the modern world. With a small pop, they parted, gazes mixing with smiles, moving back as they turned back towards the sky, remembering the meteor shower that was falling around them. Senku could tell it was past its peak now, the numbers of falling debris drastically decreased, but there was some still making their way across the pitch black.

For the first time in his life, Senku pondered making his own wish. He didn't really need it, didn't really believe in it, but he supposed it wouldn't hurt to have a bit of silly, cosmic guidance on his side to make sure it would come to reality. As he looked over towards Kohaku, watching as her moist eyes lit up with the starlight, unaware of his gaze upon her, his lips curled into a wistful smile before turning back towards the celestial event, waiting for one more to go past – and it did – before shutting his eyes and making that wish, deep within his chest.

_'Let me succeed in breaking humanity from the stone and bringing back those lost years, so I can finally make that promise to her.'_

_**-end-** _


End file.
